Seized by the System

The day after that was blessed with bright sun and blue skies. Qi City, which had quietly survived an apocalypse, was once bathed in warm sunlight and serenity. The sun remained rising from the East, as after all, a certain hermit’s transformation could not shake the foundations and rules of nature.

Meanwhile, in Qi City’s Special Affairs Liaison Office HQ, a storm was brewing in the Director’s office.

“Motherf*cker! Cocky b*stards, all of them! Trying to be smart, huh? How dare they criticize the report I wrote throughout the entire night, and say that it was more like a novel than a report? How dare they say that I don’t know how a Celestial Dragon Form looks like! How dare they say that my edited video is for a coverup!”

Mo Xing was currently throwing a tantrum in the office. Those who sat in the same office with him – Principle Zhang, and a few Deputy Directors – remained silent as he ranted. Not one attempted to calm him down.

“They really wanted to get that person into the Truth Department, huh? Great, perfect; I had planned to let it slip, but now I’ll f*cking join in the fun!”

Mo Xing pushed his glasses, and scanned the people sitting in the room. His eyes were glazed with ice.

“Deputy Director Liu, immediately contact the relevant organizations and investigate the movements of Vigilante A. We will immediately move once we have a confirmed location.”

“Yes, Director Mo.” A 40-year-old looking man, donned in a well-pressed suit, stood up and bowed. He immediately turned to leave the office.

After he finished expressing his anger, Mo Xing remembered an emergency call earlier today that carried him a message.

The Truth Department has come to a conclusion for their meeting at dawn today; to absorb the individual that could summon the Celestial Dragon Form into their ranks as soon as possible.

It was difficult operating in an area with too many people in charge of it. After each cleanup mission, the District Special Affairs Liaison Office would need to report to the Truth Department, and the Special Affairs Liaison Office China HQ respectively.

The Truth Department had the clearance for the report as they were required to come up with a conclusion for each event. The HQ of China Special Affairs Liaison Office was directly above them, frequent reporting is one of the basic operational procedures.

They’ve worked hard on the case, and even though everyone came back unscathed, none of them were given the recognition they deserved. The attention of the Truth Department was all focused on the Celestial Dragon Form that showed up out of nowhere, and none of them spared any words of encouragement and courage to the Special Affairs. Neither did HQ stand up for them, as they brushed the entire operation off and instructed them to ‘work closely with the Truth Department’.

Mo Xing previously dreamt that he would somehow be able to hide the presence of Vigilante A from the people up top, but the truth was revealed almost too easily. It wasn’t that he wasn’t smart enough about it, but that he wasn’t within the core of the Truth Department, and thus had no access to major confidential issues.

He was treated entirely like an idiot. All his efforts in glossing over the topic were as laughable as burying his head in the sand like a f*cking ostrich.

It was this complete and absolute humiliation that set him off. He always assumed that he possessed a higher intelligence than most people. How could he take this quietly when the short-sighted idiots were laughing in his face?

Strengthening his resolve to climb up the power ladder, he thought to himself, ‘As long as I can wield the power, I would have the clearance to know more classified information. Then, I will not make the same mistakes again.’

Under an enraged strain of his snarls, his mind and heart were clear and careful. There was no way he would allow the Truth Department to take Vigilante A into their ranks. Even if he was intentionally ignoring the existence of the superpowered individual and was actively avoiding any contact, he actually took time to investigate him when he became famous in the city.

He arrived at one conclusion: This person was a prideful one, and as a hero that addressed himself highly, he would never bow down to the system and allow himself to be ordered around in an organization like the Truth Department. The main rule in organizations was the absolute obedience towards one’s superior, and based on the modus operandi Vigilante A has displayed, he had absolutely no place in the Truth Department.

His deliberate oversight on the issue was very much similar to the core principle held by the ones above him – to do their best in uniting those that were able to work together during a crisis, and leverage on the combined power to defeat the most dangerous enemies. Previously, he did not interfere with the actions of Vigilante A, and even sealed his file within the law enforcement systems under the name of Special Affairs, effectively preventing them from going through their standard operating procedures. This was unity in another form, and the results were satisfying; Qi City became the Model City, and he managed to avoid a fatal disaster himself.

In contrast, the Truth Department was once again stuck in their whirlpool of pride, as they assumed that Vigilante A will be at their beck and call just because they had status, precious cultivation resources, and a sense of self-assured justice. He could almost see the dejected faces of the Truth Department people that were sent to contact Vigilante A. The hero was no longer the underdeveloped superpower individual as he was before; as a person who can summon the Celestial Dragon Form, he must’ve established his ego, and would never even glance at the Truth Department’s call.

Before that, however, there was still much he should do that would reap him immense benefits in the near future. His eyes narrowed as he went deep into thought…

///

It was just past 9 pm when Deputy Director Liu obtained the coordinates of Vigilante A from the relevant authorities. Mo Xing led his men to meet up with Deputy Director Liu, and had successfully intercepted Vigilante A at a random junction.

At the moment, the latter was stopping a few drunkards that were harassing some girls.

However, their eyes were momentarily distracted by a translucent, ribbon-like structure that was wrapped around Vigilante A. It seemed to be twirling around in the air, but it disappeared right when they showed up.

Of course, the drunkards were beaten and sprawled on the floor, and judging from their extensive rolling as they hugged their torsos, they would probably swear off alcohol for the rest of their lives. However, Mo Xing felt that these people seemed to be feeling oddly cold, although he had no intention nor interest to care.

Mo Xing coughed to declare his arrival in the crowd. It was also a way to show that they were friendlies with no hostile intentions towards the hero.

VIgilante A turned to find out that his old friends have arrived. He did not know their names, but at least he knew that they were from the Special Affairs Liaison Office in Qi City. They met just a few nights back! The System’s memory was impeccable, and is as good as a computer when it comes to these things.

“What matters do you have here?”

Mo Xing had prepared himself for the encounter early on. When he heard the tone that infused the hero’s words, he signaled Deputy Director Liu who was beside him to get into action. Deputy Director Liu was an avid fan of any media relating to martial arts. Originally, he had intended to bring along the author Zhao Han, but the latter has informed that his genre was sci-fi fantasy instead of martial arts…

With an inhale, Deputy Director Liu gritted out, “Oh hero, you’ve shown us your power the day before yesterday. You’ve saved all 800,000 inhabitants of Qi City. Your contributions are immeasurable, and we’re here to express our utmost appreciation.”

Vigilante A replied, “I have no interest in your appreciation. Since you’re here, I shall ask you this. I heard that you have a monetary reward for the Good Samaritans. One person saved for fifty thousand, no? I rescued 800,000 people in total. I’m unskilled in mathematics, so could you calculate how much you should pay me?”

Their faces were tainted with wild disbelief when they heard what Vigilante A said. Deputy Director Liu was stunned speechless; wait, this wasn’t what he subscribed to! Hero, your words were great and amazing that day, why are you asking for such a large sum of money now?

He never did a special research on Vigilante A, thus he had no idea that the hero was not the average, everyday superhero.

Mo Xing was the only one that remained composed. A hint of a smile rose from within him as he realized that his expectations were accurate. This Vigilante A was not the typical, goody-two-shoes kind of hero that would overspill the world with his kindness. It’s true that he stands for justice, and that he never hurt an innocent, but it does not mean that he is a saint. This individual had two weaknesses: fame, and profit.

Even the Truth Department would not be able to satisfy the appetite of this hero. It was simple, really; if the hero’s equation were to be adopted and his reward was to be given, then it’s almost time for the Truth Department to declare bankruptcy and dismiss their employees…

As a high achiever from a top university, it took him only a second to calculate that 800,000 multiplied by 50,000 is four hundred billion. If they exchanged it to USD, it would still amount to tens of billions. How many organizations could get so much cash within themselves?

The only way to handle these powerful individuals that have strong principles was to give in to their whims and bow down to them. Then, they would not ask for impossible amounts of cash, and thus would be willing to unite with other forces to defeat the evil.

Hence, Mo Xing hid all of his emotions and put on a friendly smile on his face. He stepped up to pull Deputy Director Liu aside as he spoke, “Of course, the reward must be given. How could we not give your benevolence the due recognition? Sadly, the State Special Affairs Liaison Office only has a limited amount of manpower and funds, and the Good Samaritan reward is also not calculated by the number of people rescued. Instead, it is based on the severity and damage level of the event itself. Thus, the incident that happened the day before yesterday would only amount to RMB 500,000. That is the maximum that we can get, and it is offered with the highest sincerity.”

Vigilante A offered no expression whatsoever after he heard Mo Xing’s explanation. He seemed to be daydreaming, but at the same time, he looked unhappy.

Mo Xing was anxious after he was left waiting for some time. He thought that the Vigilante was dissatisfied with the amount he was offering, and he started to worry that he would be needed to take some funds out of his personal pockets.

Thankfully, Vigilante A finally answered, “Alright then. I’m not interested in your monetary affairs anyway, so RMB500,000 it is. When will you pay up?”

Mo Xing’s eyes brightened at that as he replied, “We’ll pay immediately; we’re not one to drag their debts. Though, would it be possible for us to obtain your assistance at the same price if another disaster happens in the future?”

Vigilante A went into a daze once again and answered after a long silence, “Naturally. As long as you mention it to me beforehand, I will make my way there. However, it is important to note that I will never hurt an innocent, so you must make sure that the creature must be of sin and evil.”

Mo Xing looked appreciative on the outside, but he was secretly rejoicing on the inside. As long as he maintained different stances when he was dealing with both parties, the hero would soon know which side he would much prefer working with, once the people from the Truth Department arrived. Then, Mo Xing would finally have his own space to work in.

At the same time, Fang Ning and the System were celebrating in the System Space.

Fang Ning grinned. “Look at our luck today! Someone came to us with gifts of monsters and money, he’s much better than those men from Feng Niao. We were worrying about running out of farming targets since that equipment of yours has yet to be completed, and because we still can’t raise our Aggro Bar, the plan to attract monsters would be delayed once again. Besides, once we unlocked the Reputation Module, we would no longer be affected even if we go farming in another area. Of course we’ll take him up on his offer.”

Sir System was delighted as well. “Exactly. Oh, he’s a great man. No matter how much we served justice before this, no one came to us with money. He’s the first one! I approve of this man.”

Fang Ning snorted, “Hah, I can bet that he must have some ulterior motives, but there’s no use in telling you now. All you need to know is that this person can give us monsters and money, and that’s enough.”

The System grumbled, “I don’t understand what you’re saying…”